Treasure the Moments
by MsPercival
Summary: Percival and his four best friends plan their annual holiday party. This is the last one they'll all spend together, as it's their senior year in college. All does not turn out as planned. Perhaps it turns out better. Three chapters long. (Modern AU) COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1 Plans, Plans, Plans

_A/N – I needed to get into the holiday spirit this year, so as usual, I thought about how our friends in Camelot might celebrate. But this time, they popped into my head as college students celebrating their final holiday season as seniors in college at the University of Maine. There's a little humor, a touch of romance, and lots of friendship._

 **Chapter One – Plans, Plans, Plans**

Percival sat on the floor in front of the fireplace in the living room, his long legs extended out in front of him, tapping at the laptop perched on his knees. A sudden, fierce blast of Maine's bitter-cold winter winds rattled the window panes.

"Give me just one sec to open this spreadsheet, guys."

Even though it was finals season at the University of Maine, a stressful time of year, Percival was determined to wrap up plans for the annual holiday party. _Today._

It was hard to believe he and his four best friends – also his roommates – would be graduating in a mere five months. They'd been lucky to get their hands on this fantastic off-campus rental during their sophomore year. It was a five-bedroom renovated farmhouse, spacious, boasting a massive fireplace in the living room, and exposed beam ceilings throughout. The home sat on four acres of pristine wooded property, with a quaint, whitewashed brick guest cottage situated within sight of the main house.

They rented the home from Mr. Gaius, an elderly man who told them he could no longer take care of the acreage and houses, and said, "If you five nice young men move in here and promise to take care of the homestead, I'd be happy to rent it to you for a reasonable cost."

Mr. Gaius quoted a price that was a fraction of other rents in the area, and the friends jumped on it. A week after signing the rental lease, Percival, Gwaine, Leon, Merlin, and Arthur moved in. A few weeks after that, a trio of other university students – Gwen, Mithian, and Freya – moved into the guest cottage. They'd all become fast friends, and by springtime, Arthur was dating Gwen and Merlin was dating Freya, and they were like one, big, happy family.

Gwaine, Percival's closest friend and the most boisterous of the bunch, rose from the well-worn, overstuffed couch and cupped his hands around his mouth.

"Hear ye, hear ye!" Gwaine bellowed, shaking his shaggy, dark hair out of his face. "I henceforth call to order the annual Holiday Shindig Planning Meeting, one where we shall argue, groan, complain, and behave in tragically un-festive ways…"

"Gwaine…" Percival glared at his friend with narrowed eyes. "Can we cut the theatrics? I want everything planned and decided _today_. This is our last year together and it needs to be special; pizza and beer in front of the fire won't cut it. I want this year to be the best ever."

Gwaine scoffed but took a seat. "Asking a theater major to _not_ be theatrical is like asking him to stop breathing," he muttered.

"Gwaine, we still love you," Leon chimed in, always the voice of reason. "But don't stress-out Percival. Finals are coming, we don't have a lot of time to plan, and we're all on edge."

"I agree with Percival," Arthur said. "We need to do something big. We're lucky we've been able to rent this great house with lots of space. Let's make the party a good one."

Percival appreciated Arthur's support. Arthur had become the de facto head of the household, partially because no one else wanted the job, and partially because he was organized and had no problem ordering people around. But since Arthur handled the boring tasks like coordinating bill payments and making household chore schedules, the men rarely got angry when Arthur became overbearing, which happened sometimes.

Yet while Arthur was in charge, each of the men possessed skills that kept the house running smoothly. Percival and Leon were good at conflict resolution (often needed in a home with five college-age men), cleaning, and repairs. Merlin kept the place stocked with groceries and did most of the cooking, making sure they subsisted on more than Ramen noodles and microwave macaroni and cheese. Gwaine managed their social calendar, and oddly, he loved splitting wood for the fireplace. Shirtless. Even if it was freezing out. Again, a little theatrical.

When it came to yard work, they all pitched in, and they'd settled into an easy, enjoyable rhythm of caring for their house. Percival would be sad to leave this place, a home where he'd felt so comfortable for the past two years. He and the men had become more than friends; they were brothers.

And they'd seen each other through difficult times. Some hardships had been minor, like dating disappointments, and when Gwaine had failed calculus. Other situations had been much more trying, such as when Arthur's father died, and then there had been Leon's near-fatal car wreck last winter.

Percival would never forget that night in the hospital a year ago, as they and the girls all stood around in a cramped, worn waiting room, terrified, waiting to hear the news from the surgeon if Leon was going to make it or not. The doors to the waiting area swished open, and all they heard from the doctor's mouth was: "He made it through…"

That's all they needed to know; they broke down into tears and huddled into a weepy hug. Leon was left with a serious limp from the accident, one that would remain with him always, but everyone was just thrilled he was still alive. Life without Leon was unthinkable.

Percival's chest tightened with emotion at that memory, but he cleared his throat, forcing himself to focus on the spreadsheet before him. It was time to get down to business.

"I think we should talk about the menu first, then decorations and music," Percival offered. "I want to make sure everyone's happy with what we're doing, because I realize we come from different backgrounds. I don't want anyone to feel slighted. Just because Arthur and I are Christian doesn't mean our preferences are the most important, not by a longshot."

"Speaking as the resident atheist, as long as there's food, booze, and music at this party, I'm fine with it," Gwaine said. "But I demand Leon's mother's latkes. As long as we have that onion-ish, potato-ey fried goodness, all will be right with the world."

"Wait, I thought you said you were agnostic now," Leon said, shaking his mop of curly, light-brown hair. "Or a non-theist? I can't keep up with you. And yes, my mom would be happy to make a thousand latkes for us. It's every Jewish mother's dream to feed people, believe me."

Gwaine grinned at Leon. "Can I text her and ask if she'll do it?"

"Yes," Leon replied, giving Gwaine a playful shove.

"You know, your mom's kind of young and hot," Gwaine said.

Leon pulled a face of disgust. "Yeah. Great. Too bad she's married to my father…"

"Back on track, boys," Arthur demanded.

Percival typed furiously. "All right, latkes. What else? Merlin? You're our Pagan. You always come up with cool ideas for food and decorations."

"Do we have to eat venison or raw turkey or anything weird like that?" Gwaine asked. "Because I'm not really into those things."

Merlin, who sat right next to Gwaine on the couch, threw his hands into the air. "Have I _ever_ tried to make you eat those things? I was _going_ to suggest quiche, crescent cookies, and hot buttered rum, but if those sound too 'weird' for you, you don't have to indulge."

Gwaine wrapped his arms around Merlin's skinny frame and planted a loud, wet kiss on his cheek. "That's crazy-talk! I want hot buttered rum! Have I told you lately that I love you, Merlin?"

"And back to planning…" Arthur insisted with an eye roll.

Within the hour, the spreadsheet was full and planning was complete. From food to decorations to entertainment, they had a solid outline. The party would take place in just over a week, the night finals were over, right before everyone traveled home for the holidays.

As they wrapped up the meeting, Gwaine announced, "I think as part of the entertainment, we should have Percival bench press the Yule log. Come on, Percival, don't you want to show off those pretty muscles?"

Percival saved his work, closed the laptop, then tackled Gwaine on the couch. "Let me show _you_ my muscles," Percival said, pretending to punch at Gwaine's head, but stopping short.

"Violence!" Gwaine shouted, laughing. "Extreme holiday violence!"

Percival hopped up and helped Gwaine to his feet. When Percival considered the fact that these days of fun and camaraderie would end sooner than later, his heart grew heavy.

They needed this one final holiday bash, all of them.


	2. Chapter 2 The Preparations

_A/N – Welcome to chapter two! Here, our boys finish up their finals, prepare for the party, and Percival and Merlin help Gwaine deal with a difficult situation._

 _And thank you, RainbowAnimation, for marking this story as a favorite. I appreciate it!_

 **Chapter Two – The Preparations**

"Oh, hellllp," Percival groaned, dropping his backpack onto the floor and falling face-first into bed. He ran his hands over the blond stubble on his head. He'd cut his hair military-short to make his life easier during finals week.

And it had truly been the week from hell. He'd just finished his last final exam – linear algebra – and it had been terrible. He'd studied for the exam like a madman and had barely finished on time.

During the final moments of the test, he glanced up and saw Mithian, his neighbor and fellow computer engineering major, sitting back in her seat in the lecture hall, a relaxed look on her face, twirling her pencil. She appeared happy and had obviously finished her test with time to spare. Percival had always found her to be a gorgeous thing, with that toned little body of hers, dark, smiling eyes, and mane of long, chestnut-brown hair. And while Arthur and Merlin had been brave enough to make moves on Gwen and Freya, Percival hesitated connecting with Mithian, because she was in the same academic department and she seemed, well, out of his league.

And there was that one time last year when Percival had woken early for a jog, and he saw the engineering department jerk, Cenred, sauntering out of her cottage at sunrise, a satisfied smirk on his face. Gwen and Freya had boyfriends, so Percival assumed Cenred had spent the night with Mithian, and Percival wanted to puke over the thought.

But later that day, Percival saw Mithian in class, and she looked terrible, with her eyes red and half swollen shut from crying and her hands shaky. Percival wondered if Cenred had hurt her, but he stopped himself from asking Mithian about it directly.

However, when Cenred bumped into Percival in the hallway that afternoon and mumbled, "Idiot!" under his breath, Percival snapped. He grabbed Cenred by the front of his too-snug t-shirt and dragged him close. But as Percival drew his fist back, ready to strike, he pictured his scholarship flying out the window, his future in ruins. Percival released Cenred, but growled, "Watch yourself. Especially around my friends."

 _No need to remember that today,_ Percival thought, prone on his comfortable bed, doing his best to purge that aggravating memory from his mind. He took a moment to close his eyes. His brain felt like a dried prune, he'd drunk too much caffeine lately, and had far too little sleep. And now, he had twenty-four hours to cook and decorate for the holiday party tomorrow night. He and Merlin would have to do most of the work, since their finals had ended today and everyone else had a few to go.

The thought of the hours and hours of work that lay ahead exhausted him, and he considered taking a quick nap to restore his energy. A quick nap wouldn't put preparations off schedule.

And who said becoming a computer engineer was a good idea? Nah, he loved every moment of it.

XXXX

The kitchen was a disaster, piled high with used pots, pans, and bowls, and Percival and Merlin couldn't stop themselves from laughing at the sheer disorder. Everyone else was tucked away in their bedrooms studying for their final exams tomorrow, while Percival and Merlin cooked up a storm. They figured it was best to prepare everything in advance and focus on reheating dishes right before the party.

It was one fine spread they had planned: lasagna, meatballs, fresh rolls, various quiches, a platter of loaded nachos, salads, cheese, crackers, chips, dip, and a vegan lentil loaf for the vegetarians. Percival and Merlin eyed the crumbly, grayish loaf, which didn't look as appetizing as the picture in the recipe, and shrugged their shoulders. Heck, they'd tried.

They moved on to baking, which included a huge tray of fudge, various cookies, and a couple of cheesecakes. While Merlin held the title of Chief Baker and Cook in the household, the rest of the guys managed in the kitchen well enough. It was far less expensive to cook than waste money on takeout constantly, and they were all pretty frugal. Except when it came to the budget for this party. Here, they didn't hold back.

"I'm putting a small pan of lasagna into the oven for tonight," Merlin said. "Otherwise, when the rest of the crowd emerges from their man-caves, they'll devour the party food."

"Good idea," Percival said, but he noticed Merlin spoke faster than usual and seemed jittery tonight. "You seem extra tense. What is it? The party? Finals?"

"No." Merlin hopped up onto the dark granite kitchen counter and sat there, running his long fingers through his short black hair so it stood up every which way. "I'm proposing to Freya at the party tomorrow night, and it has me all wound up."

"Merlin, that's great!" Percival said, grinning. "I know how much you love her. Why are you nervous? She'll say yes."

"I think she will, but there's a small part of me that worries."

"No way. This is the perfect time. Where's the ring?"

Merlin withdrew a small black velvet box from the pocket of his jeans and opened it. Percival didn't know the first thing about jewelry, but it looked like something Freya would appreciate, and the square diamond in the center was darn large. It must have cost Merlin a fortune.

"You've got this, Merlin," Percival said, clapping him on the back. "Tomorrow will really be a night to remember."

Merlin held a finger up to his lips. "Don't say anything to the other guys."

"Not a word."

Gwaine was the first to emerge from his bedroom, rubbing his hands over his ever-present facial stubble, his dark eyes full of defeat. "I'm going to fail," he announced, standing in the middle of the kitchen. "My final's in Acting Shakespeare tomorrow and my professor told me I had to pick a monologue from a tragedy, no more comedies. He said I needed to 'test' myself and 'take a chance.' I picked one from _Macbeth_ , the 'Is this a dagger I see before me?' speech. It's too long, I can't remember it all, and what I can remember I suck at."

It was rare for Gwaine to come out and admit he was vulnerable. Percival swiped the script from Gwaine's hand and looked it over.

"You can do this. I'll help. But first, why don't you show us what you know?" Percival said.

"Yeah." Gwaine nodded his head and a little color returned to his cheeks. "All right."

Gwaine went ahead with the speech, and as it turned out, he got most of it right and flubbed only a short passage at the end. But even with the minor mistake, his performance was incredible. Percival and Merlin stood in shock, amazed their friend, a natural comedian, was able to perform tragedy so brilliantly.

"Gwaine, that gave me goosebumps," Percival said. "I had no idea you could do that. And there was just one tiny part you missed. You can do this. We'll help, as long as you promise to help us decorate afterward."

"I didn't suck? Really? And yeah, I'd love your help. Thanks, guys."

They ran through the monologue with Gwaine until he had it down pat. Afterward, they decorated the living room, hanging up hundreds of handmade paper snowflakes, stringing greenery along the walls, tacking icicle-shaped Christmas lights onto the ceiling, and covering every spare surface with festive blue and silver tablecloths. And once the timer on the oven dinged, Leon and Arthur made their way into the kitchen, and they all sat down to a dinner of lasagna, bread, and salad.

As they wolfed down their suppers, Leon said, "Thanks for handling all this, guys. Sorry Arthur and I couldn't be of more help today. These business finals we have tomorrow are evil."

Arthur nodded in agreement and adjusted his baseball cap over his messy blond hair. "Seriously. I'd rather face mortal peril. These exams _feel_ like mortal peril!"

"No problem. Merlin and I didn't mind," Percival said. "But as repayment, you boys are on cleanup duty tomorrow."

Leon and Arthur wadded up their napkins and tossed them at Percival's head.

"Example one of extreme holiday violence!" Percival said, ducking beneath the dinner table.


	3. Chapter 3 The Big Day

_A/N – Welcome to the third and final chapter! Tonight's the big night, the party! If you are reading this during the holiday season, I hope you have a wonderful one. If you're reading this during a different time of year, I hope the joy of the holidays stay with you all year long._

 **Chapter Three – The Big Day, Bigger Announcements**

It was impossible to be anything other than incredibly excited. The party was a few hours away, and Gwaine came crashing through the front door, brushing snow off his thick winter jacket and kicking off his muddy boots. A wet, heavy snow had started falling about an hour prior, but it was winter in Maine… what did they all expect?

"Well?" Percival shouted from the kitchen. He, Merlin, Arthur, and Leon were hard at work getting the last of the food prepared. "How did it go?"

Gwaine, his head hanging low, shuffled into the kitchen, and Percival's heart sank. Had Gwaine bombed his performance? But his rehearsals had been so fantastic yesterday!

"Well, I guess that's it," Gwaine said. "It seems like…" His head shot up and he grinned. "I nailed it! All thanks to you and Merlin. I got an A-plus! And guess what else? My professor recommended me for the MFA program here. Gwaine is getting his master's degree, kiddies! What do you think of that?"

All of them shouted their congratulations, but immediately dragged Gwaine into the kitchen and forced him to help set up.

"What's the snow look like?" Arthur asked Gwaine.

"Pretty heavy and it doesn't seem like it's about to let up. Close to half a foot has fallen within the last hour."

The men rushed to the living room window and peered outside.

"Yikes," Leon said. "It's really coming down. Looks like close to a foot now."

They all fretted, wondering if the weather would keep people away, but two hours later, around 6:00 p.m., people started turning up. It appeared as if no one cared about the feet of deep, wet snow.

The first to arrive were Gwen, Freya, and Mithian.

"It's a whiteout now," Gwen said, kissing Arthur on the cheek as he took her coat. "Plan to host lots of people overnight, because they may not be able to make it home."

"As long as I can host _you_ in _my_ bed…" Arthur said, gathering Gwen into his arms and nipping at her neck, and everyone groaned at the display of affection.

Within the hour, the house was packed with close to forty people. The guests drank, ate, laughed, and talked, and spirited arguments took place over the dreidel game happening in the middle of the living room floor. The men agreed it was, by far, the best party they'd thrown.

Percival tossed another few logs onto the fire when his phone buzzed, as did everyone else's in the room. Percival tapped on the incoming text. It was from Campus Emergency Management Services:

 _Good evening. This is Campus Emergency Management Services. The National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning for our area, which remains in effect until tomorrow at 6:00 a.m. Expect up to four feet of snow, icing, and damaging winds. Travel will become impossible. We ask that you not leave your homes and shelter in place for the night. We expect widespread power outages, and if that occurs, power may not be restored for several days. We will continue to provide updates as the night progresses. Please stay safe._

Everyone else was checking their phones, too, as the guests were all affiliated with the university in one way or another.

"Ah forget it!" Gwaine shouted. "We're not going to let a little blizzard ruin our holiday fun, are we?"

"No!" the guests chorused in unison.

Yet two seconds later, the loud whooshing sound of the power going out in the house sounded. It was a good thing the fire blazed high, otherwise, it would have been pitch black.

"Don't panic!" Gwaine turned on his cell phone's flashlight and ran for the basement door. "We have plenty of candles and tons of food and drinks.

Moments later, he rushed back upstairs with a dusty old box of candles, set out the candles all over the living room and kitchen, and lit them. Once that was done, he connected his phone to the Bluetooth speakers and blasted holiday music. No one seemed to care any longer that the power was out, and people resumed laughing and talking, and many of them started dancing to the holiday tunes.

Gwaine turned to Percival. "Think you can get me a hot buttered rum before it turns ice cold?"

"Absolutely." Percival clapped Gwaine on the back. "You've earned it."

Somehow, in the candlelight, the house looked even more festive than before. While the Christmas lights on the ceiling no longer radiated an electric glow, they picked up the candlelight and sparkled like real icicles.

Percival and Gwaine stood back, sipping their buttered rum, watching all the fun, but they eventually joined in with the wild dancing. It was all so intimate, loud, and fun at once.

They took a pause from the revelry when it was time for Leon to light the menorah and say the Hanukkah blessing. Leon had mentioned to Percival once or twice it was a little lonely being one of the few Jews at school, so in solidarity, Percival committed the Hebrew blessing to memory and recited it right along with Leon. Percival butchered the pronunciations, but Leon pulled him into a hug of thanks.

Once the prayer was done, Gwaine turned up the music again and it was back to dancing. Percival accidentally backed into Mithian, who was clad in a short, tight red sweater dress that dipped low in the front, and she wore a jaunty Santa hat on her head. Percival tried not to stare, but she normally dressed conservatively during classes and had her hair pinned up in a utilitarian bun, but tonight she looked… spectacular. There was no other word for it.

"Percival! Dance with me!" She grabbed onto his waist and smiled.

"Sure," he said, wondering if what her pink lip gloss tasted like.

They danced to the upbeat music for a few moments until a slow song came on. Mithian wrapped her arms around his neck while he rested his hands on her hips, and they swayed to the slow melody of _I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas_. Percival shot Gwaine a quick glance, and Gwaine smirked. It appeared as if Gwaine had selected this song on purpose.

"You're a tall one," Mithian said with a smile. "I can barely reach your neck!"

Percival crouched down and she laughed.

"You know, you look really pretty tonight," he said. Percival didn't have the same skills with the ladies that Gwaine did, so he just said what was in his heart. And he wanted to kiss her so badly, Mithian, with her warm brown eyes and beautiful, hearty laugh.

Before she could reply, Percival decided to take a chance. He leaned down and pressed a long, soft kiss to Mithian's lips. Her mouth tasted like peppermint, spicy and delicious, just like her.

"What took you so long?" she asked, gazing up at him with affection once the kiss ended. "I've been waiting for that forever!"

"You have?"

"Yeah! And I never got to thank you for dealing with Cenred last semester. I saw what happened that afternoon when you told him to watch himself. He never bothered me again after that."

The old fury over Cenred swelled up inside of Percival again. "Did he hurt you?"

Mithian shook her head. "Not physically, but he broke my heart and got a real kick out of it. I'm glad to be rid of him."

"He's a total idiot to mess things up with you. A complete fool."

Percival pulled Mithian right up against his body and they kept dancing to the slow Christmas tune. He wondered if he and Mithian would become more than friends after tonight. He hoped so.

In the middle of the dance, Arthur stood up and killed the music. "I have an announcement to make." He pulled Gwen off the couch and dropped to one knee. "Gwen, I love you more than anything and I would be honored if you'd be my wife. I love you so much. What do you say?"

"Yes!" she shrieked, her shoulder-length, wild black curls bobbing as she jumped up and down. Arthur slipped the ring onto her finger.

Cheers of congratulations rang out, but Percival sought out Merlin, who stood in a corner, clapping, but with a stunned expression on his face. Percival felt bad for Merlin, so he told Mithian he'd be back in a few minutes and strode over to Merlin's side.

"Merlin, do it anyway," Percival whispered in his ear. "Propose to Freya."

"No. That wouldn't be right to steal the spotlight from Arthur and Gwen."

"Arthur's one of your best friends! He'll be happy for you. _Do it_!"

Percival gave Merlin a light shove, and Merlin walked into the center of the room.

"I also have an announcement," Merlin said, and the room fell silent. "Freya? Where are you?"

The tiny, dark-haired Freya emerged from the kitchen and took his hand. At once, Merlin fell to his knee.

"I think it's rare for people to meet their true soulmates, but Freya is mine. She is a wonderful, beautiful person." He withdrew the ring from his pocket at held it out. "Freya, will you make my heart whole and allow me to love you for all the days of my life?

With tears in her brown eyes, Freya nodded, and she and Merlin kissed. More cheers erupted. How would any of them ever forget this night?

Arthur made his way to Merlin's side and joked about how Merlin had shown him up with a better speech, but the men embraced, obviously happy for one another.

While Percival turned his attention to the fire and added another log, Leon joined him.

"Good for them," Leon said, in a wistful tone. "I'm happy for the guys. I'd like to be happy for myself, too…" He shook his head. "Forget that. I'm being selfish. You and Mithian, huh?"

Percival stood up and brushed the wood ash from his jeans. "I don't know. I really hope so."

"She's into you, I can tell."

Percival felt bad for Leon. The man hadn't had much luck in love lately. His girlfriend had left him right after his accident last year, and Leon hadn't bothered to date since; he was embarrassed by his limp and confessed to Percival he was "done trusting women."

As Percival and Leon stood side-by-side in front of the warm fire, an attractive, porcelain-skinned girl with a long black ponytail rushed up to Leon. Percival recognized her as one of Gwen's friends, a freshman named Morgana.

"Oh my God, you're Leon, right?" she asked, staring up at him, her pale green eyes wide with excitement, as if she was meeting a celebrity. She didn't wait for an answer. "Never mind, I know you're Leon. My Ancient History professor shared one of your papers with our class as an example of how to write, and I loved it! It was like reading a story, not like the usual dry history stuff. The way you described battles during Anglo-Saxon times…it was the best thing I've read. Can I ask you a few questions about it? Do you mind?"

"Well, um…" Leon mumbled, but Percival elbowed him toward Morgana. "Yeah, sure."

Percival wondered if Leon realized it, but Morgana definitely appeared to be into Leon, with the way she kept moving closer to him and rested her hand on his arm. Leon seemed a little hesitant and overwhelmed, as if he couldn't believe an attractive woman was paying attention to him, but after a time, he relaxed and even smiled a little. Leon deserved the attention and accolades.

The party continued on, but the raging blizzard outside died down, and hours later, people began to drift home. The men offered for everyone to stay overnight, but most people, pleasantly buzzed, expressed they'd rather spend the night in their own beds. Even Gwen, Freya, and Mithian said they wanted to sleep in their own cottage, so the boys escorted them home through the slushy, icy, snow.

Of course, Merlin and Freya and Arthur and Gwen shared ridiculously long kisses out in the cold, and by the time they were done, ice had begun to rain down. Percival gave Mithian a quick kiss on the cheek, told her they'd talk tomorrow, and the men trudged through several acres of deep snow toward home as sharp ice particles pelted them. Finally, they made it indoors and collapsed onto the hardwood floor right in front of the fire.

"What a night!" Gwaine said. "I think we should promise each other right here, right now, we all have to vacation in Maine together once a year after graduation, no matter what! Let's make a pact."

"God, I hate the idea of leaving this place," Percival said. "I wish we could stay here forever."

Merlin gave a short nod of agreement. "Same here."

"Me, too," Arthur said with a sigh.

Gwaine cleared his throat. "I can't stand the thought of leaving. It makes me sick."

Leon sat up. "All right, I wasn't going to say anything tonight, but I will. I just got the settlement money from my car accident, and it was… a lot. Way, way more than I'll ever need. So I spoke with Mr. Gaius, and he agreed to sell me the house, the property, and the guest cottage."

Percival, Merlin, Arthur, and Gwaine all sat right up and stared at Leon.

"So what are you saying?" Gwaine asked.

"I was hoping you'd all stay," Leon replied. "I know there will be marriages, obviously" – he smiled at Merlin and Arthur – "and kids one day. But I can always add onto the house. Or, if you want, you can build on this property when you're ready. There's plenty of room for that. I really think we can make this work. The five of us have a bond and I don't think it should be broken."

"You're serious?" Gwaine asked. "This isn't just some weird holiday spirit pouring out of you?"

"Dead serious," Leon said.

Percival couldn't believe this. There would never be another moment like this one, a moment brimming with hope and endless possibilities. They were friends for life, and nothing could ever change that. Overwhelmed with emotion, he couldn't seem to find the right words, and then Gwaine spoke up.

"We can all make our way right here in Maine!" Gwaine said. "I say let's do it!"

They huddled into a tight circle and hugged one another. The pact had been made. They didn't have to say goodbye. Not yet, and maybe not ever.

 **THE END**


End file.
